Radiative Processes in Astrophysics

The first edition of George Rybicki’s and Alan Lightman’s book “Radiative Processes in Astrophysics” has gained a loyal following since its publication because of its insightful, comprehensive and understandable treatment of the complicated radiation phenomena that play a role in astrophysics and astronomy. It has helped generations of students to grasp the physical fundamentals of these processes and has equipped them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in their studies and their future career.

 

The new edition of this classic text is completely revised, contains new problems (with solutions) – now around 100 in total -, boxes featuring contemporary phenomena and discoveries in astrophysics related to the material covered in the chapters, and appendices that review the basics of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics.

CHAPTER 1 FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIATIVE TRANSFER
1.1 The Electromagnetic Spectrum; Elementary Properties of Radiation
1.2 Radiative Flux
1.3 The Specific Intensity and Its Moments
1.4 Radiative Transfer
1.5 Thermal Radiation
1.6 The Einstein Coefficients
1.7 Scattering Effects; Random Walks
1.8 Radiative Diffusion
PROBLEMS

CHAPTER 2 BASIC THEORY OF RADIATION FIELDS
2.1 Review of Maxwell's Equations
2.2 Plane Electromagnetic Waves
2.3 The Radiation Spectrum
2.4 Polarization and Stokes Parameters
2.5 Electromagnetic Potentials
2.6 Applicability of Transfer Theory and the Geometrical Optics Limit
PROBLEMS

CHAPTER 3 RADIATION FROM MOVING CHARGES
3.1 Retarded Potentials of Single Moving Charges: The Lienard-Wiechart Potentials
3.2 The Velocity and Radiation Fields
3.3 Radiation from Nonrelativistic Systems
3.4 Thomson Scattering (Electron Scattering)
3.5 Radiation Reaction
3.6 Radiation from Harmonically Bound Particles
PROBLEMS

CHAPTER 4 RELATIVISTIC COVARIANCE AND KINEMATICS
4.1 Review of Lorentz Transformations
4.2 Four-Vectors
4.3 Tensor Analysis
4.4 Covariance of Electromagnetic Phenomena
4.5 A Physical Understanding of Field Transformations
4.6 Fields of a Uniformly Moving Charge
4.7 Relativistic Mechanics and the Lorentz Four-Force
4.8 Emission from Relativistic Particles
4.9 Invariant Phase Volumes and Specific Intensity
PROBLEMS

CHAPTER 5 BREMSSTRAHLUNG
5.1 Emission from Single-Speed Electrons
5.2 Thermal Bremsstrahlung Emission
5.3 Thermal Bremsstrahlung (Free-Free) Absorption
5.4 Relativistic Bremsstrahlung
PROBLEMS

CHAPTER 6 SYNCHROTRON RADIAT
6.1 Total Emitted Power
6.2 Spectrum of Synchrotron Radiation: A Qualitative Discussion
6.3 Spectral Index for Power-Law Electron Distribution
6.4 Spectrum and Polarization of Synchrotron Radiation: A Detailed Discussion
6.5 Polarization of Synchrotron Radiation
6.6 Transition from Cyclotron to Synchrotron Emission
6.7 Distinction between Received and Emitted Power
6.8 Synchrotron Self-Absorption
6.9 The Impossibility of a Synchrotron Maser in Vacuum
PROBLEMS

CHAPTER 7 COMPTON SCATTERING
7.1 Cross Section and Energy Transfer for the Fundamental Process
7.2 Inverse Compton Power for Single Scattering
7.3 Inverse Compton Spectra for Single Scattering
7.4 Energy Transfer for Repeated Scatterings in a Finite, Thermal Medium: The Compton Y Parameter
7.5 Inverse Compton Spectra and Power for Repeated Scatterings by Relativistic Electrons of Small Optical Depth
7.6 Repeated Scatterings by Nonrelativistic Electrons: The Kompaneets Equation
7.7 Spectral Regimes for Repeated Scattering by Nonrelativistic Electrons
PROBLEMS

CHAPTER 8 PLASMA EFFECTS
8.1 Dispersion in Cold, Isotropic Plasma
8.2 Propagation Along a Magnetic Field; Faraday Rotation
8.3 Plasma Effects in High-Energy Emission
PROBLEMS 236

CHAPTER 9 ATOMIC STRUCTURE
9.1 A Review of the Schrodinger Equation
9.2 One Electron in a Central Field
9.3 Many-Electron Systems
9.4 Perturbations, Level Splittings, and Term Diagrams
9.5 Thermal Distribution of Energy Levels and Ionization
PROBLEMS

CHAPTER 10 RADIATIVE TRANSITIONS
10.1 Semi-Classical Theory of Radiative Transitions
10.2 The Dipole Approximation
10.3 Einstein Coefficients and Oscillator Strengths
10.4 Selection Rules
10.5 Transition Rates
10.6 Line Broadening Mechanisms
PROBLEMS

CHAPTER 11 MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
11.1 The Born-Oppenheimer Approximation: An Order
11.2 Electronic Binding of Nuclei
11.3 Pure Rotation Spectra
11.4 Rotation-Vibration Spectra
11.5 Electronic-Rotational-Vibrational Spectra
PROBLEMS
SOLUTIONS
Appendix A: Review of Quantum Mechanics
Appendix B: Review of Statistical Mechanics

• By (author) Rana Ezzeddine
• By (author) Alan Lightman
• By (author) George B. Rybicki